Lingerie-wearing hair stylists take their work seriously – Las Vegas Review

It’s a Thursday afternoon and two senior women have just finished a game of bingo. As they pass the hair salon just across the hall, they take in the signage, a provocatively posed blond woman in a neon green bikini, and shake their heads.

“I’d hate to be dressed like that and have to do hair,” one of them says.

It’s not exactly another customer lost for Exposed, the eye candy salon at the Plaza, where sexy hairstylists cut, color and style hair while wearing lingerie. Although female clients schedule appointments, the target demographic here is clear. It’s a concept salon aimed at men.

“There are a million and one salons in Vegas,” says Traleia McMahon, managing partner of Exposed. “It’s basically just that way to stand out. It’s a way to have an edge.”

With Adele’s “Someone Like You” ballad playing overhead, McMahon walks through the salon, her black lace panties revealing much more than her most talkative clients. She worked in a traditional salon for years and always dreamed of running her own operation. When Anthony Cools, owner of Exposed and hypnotist at Paris Las Vegas, offered her the opportunity to do just that, she couldn’t pass it up. Even if it meant stripping down.

“We’re not fully dressed but we’re not giving lap dances, either,” she says. “That’s a big misconception we get. Guys will ask, ‘What if I pay extra?’ ”

To which she jokingly offers a longer scalp massage.

Not all her male clients have the same expectations, though. When she told the clients from her old salon that she’d be moving, she had to explain the deal at the new digs. Some of them were into it, some weren’t. A loyal male client who works as a mixed martial arts fighter simply couldn’t bear the thought of his hairstylist shaping his faux hawk in her underwear. “Will you please put your clothes on when I see you?” he asked her.

For him and a few others who aren’t comfortable with it, she wears a robe.

The concept hasn’t reached its full potential, according to McMahon and Cools. But, with new developments downtown on the rise, they expect that will change.

“I am still very confident this is a winner,” says Cools via email. “People that visit the salon get an amazing cut from some of the most talented stylists, and a general awesome experience and a great memory to bring back home to share with friends.”

The services at Exposed are on par with most salons. Men’s cuts start at $25 for a basic cut. Full service, which includes a hot towel scalp massage and style, costs $50. Women’s cuts range from $40 to $60. Colors start at $60, highlights start at $75, styles start at $40. Waxing ($15-25), makeup ($50-$75) and tanning ($5-$10) also are available.

But, the tips here are much different from any other salon. At least according to stylists Amanda Khoshnevis and Dana Alfonso, whose stage names, although there are no stages at Exposed, are Babs and DD, respectively. DD (pronounced DeDe) derives from Alfonso’s bra size.

“Men are very good tippers,” she says, her sheer bodysuit living up to the name of the salon. “I’ve never had a problem pulling out their wallet.”

Khoshnevis does both hair and makeup. Her tips increased 50 percent when she started working at Exposed. Alfonso, who specializes in vintage updos, previously worked as a cocktail waitress at The Venetian. Her tips have stabilized.

With the help of an Exposed mobile billboard that drives down East Fremont Street and the Strip, they often get the male client who had to see it to believe it. A lot of times they’re nervous.

“We try to make them as comfortable as possible,” Khoshnevis said. “We’ll just reassure them.”

Sometimes that simply means ordering them a drink from the cocktail waitresses downstairs. All three of them agree, other times it means heavy flirting.

But at the end of the day, they’re there to do hair and “it’s not a joke,” says Alfonso.

In the 11 months it’s been open, Exposed has seen its range of clients. Just the other day a 92-year-old woman came in for a roller set. Not too long after that, a 2½-year-old boy tagged along with his father.

“They wanted matching mohawks,” says McMahon, whose stage name is Trae. “They took pictures with all of us.”

Exposed, the eye candy salon, is at the Plaza, 1 S. Main St. Further information is available by calling 386-2590.

Contact Xazmin Garza at xgarza@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0477. Follow her on Twitter @startswithanx.

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Shoppers line up for lingerie store opening

The lineup snaked around the steamy lingerie retailer’s pink and white glass walls before it even officially opened.

Teenage girls, young women and new moms pushing strollers waited hours to enter the newest Victoria’s Secret location, a dizzying array of colourful underwear, sleepwear, bathing suits and beauty products.

The lingerie chain, known for its in-house intimate labels such as Dream Angels and Bombshell and its Pink sub-brand for ’tweens, has set up shop in the Halifax Shopping Centre.

“La Senza used to be the best you could get around here, but Victoria’s Secret is just higher end,” Krista Keough said while waiting in line Thursday morning.

“Victoria’s Secret is just more luxurious. The store has more sizes, nicer materials and better selection.”

The American retail conglomerate Limited Brands Inc. of Columbus, Ohio, acquired Montreal-based La Senza in 2007 for $710 million and owns 3,534 speciality stores under banners including Victoria’s Secret and Bath Body Works.

After an invitation-only preview Wednesday night, Victoria’s Secret officially opened Thursday morning.

Although it offered the first 100 shoppers a gift, the buzz seemed to be largely generated by the hordes of giddy shoppers eager to set foot in the first Victoria’s Secret east of Toronto.

Katy Brouwer, 21, emerged from the lingerie store with a large pink-stripped canvas tote bag.

For a grand total of $350, she bought a track suit, bathing suit and other items.

“It’s like a department store, you can get almost anything. And it’s really good quality.”

Her friend, Brittani Stanhope, said she perused Victoria’s Secret online but found the shipping costs weren’t worth it.

“The shipping was almost $50 and if a size didn’t work or you didn’t end up liking it, you had to pay to ship it back,” the 26 year-old said, noting that she spent $340.

She added that the in-store shopping experience was glamorous, down to the Victoria Secret’s sales associates that looked like models.

“They have this fleet of super-thin, beautiful girls all with their hair and makeup done up. I guess it’s supposed to motivate you to look good.”

Indeed, part of Victoria’s Secret cachet lies in its marketing promise to make women beautiful, from its Very Sexy collection of push bras to its risque fashion shows featuring scantily clad runway angels.

Regardless of the lingerie chain’s marketing campaigns, Victoria’s Secret is bound to bring more foot traffic into the shopping centre, which has recently added other higher-end retailers such as Hollister Co., Aeropostale and Sephora.

While the Victoria’s Secret in Halifax is the only location east of Toronto, an 11,000-square-foot store is expected to open in a Montreal suburb at the end of the month.

The Fashionist.ca blog reported last summer that the Halifax store is one of six new Canadian locations the American retailer will launch this year. Other new stores listed — all of which have since opened — include three in Ontario and one each in Edmonton and Calgary.

(bbundale@herald.ca)

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